Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has withdrawn himself from consideration as a replacement for outgoing Chair of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. This opens the door for current Vice Chair, Janet Yellen, who has emerged as the favorite of the left.

Speaker of the House John Boehner has become so desperate to hold onto his position that he has caved in to the Tea Party minority of his Republican caucus and tied defunding Obamacare to avoiding a government shutdown.